The government of Colombia and the guerrilla National Liberation Army (ELN) They signed a “national” and “bilateral” ceasefire in Havana this Friday, according to press reports.
The agreement is currently of a temporary nature and, after an adjustment period, will in principle last 180 days from August 3.
This is the main result of the third cycle of peace talks, which has been held since May 2 in the Cuban capital, and which the parties presented after signing the Cuba Accords, in the presence of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and the first commander of the ELN, Eliécer Herlinto Chamorro, alias “Antonio García”.
This is the longest ceasefire that the Government of Colombia and the ELN have agreed to to date, says a dispatch from the agency EFE.
The ELN’s chief negotiator, Israel Ramírez, alias “Pablo Beltrán”, stressed that the ceasefire “seeks a humanitarian purpose, to reduce the conflict so that in Colombia there is a better climate for the participation of society.”
“Let this be the agreement of the people,” asked “Beltrán”, who warned that “they count on the ELN to solve causes not consequences” and called for the inclusion of civil society to change the State.
“We aspire to have in-depth analyzes of the causes that originate the conflict, with the participation of society,” said the guerrilla chief negotiator, quoted by the Spanish media.
For his part, the head of the government delegation, Otty Patiño, considered this step “crucial” for the peace process to advance.
In addition, the parties agreed that the UN and the Catholic Church will supervise compliance with the ceasefire agreed this Friday between the Colombian government and the ELN. Every two months there will be a follow-up meeting.
The first commander of the ELN pointed out, however, that for the moment “substantial agreements” have not been signed, but only procedural pacts, although these will serve to “advance.”
Venezuela will host the next cycle of negotiations between the ELN and the Colombian government from August 14 to September 4, after the ceasefire agreement reached this Friday.
However, the agreement emphasizes that the peace talks table enters into a permanent activity that combines different modalities of work in different scenarios and times, maintaining the cycles of talks.
The parties thanked Cuba for their country as the venue for this cycle and as guarantor of the peace process.
EFE / OnCuba
